Elm Street Kids
by Ghostwriter
Summary: Zack has more on his mind than school and girls. Things like life and death.
1. Fright Night

ELM STREET KIDS

DISCLAIMER

Crossover between Saved By The Bell and Nightmare On Elm Street. Yes, I'm obsessed. Deal with it. For those who don't know the premise of Nightmare On Elm Street, it revolved the idea of teens being murdered in their sleep. In the 3rd movie, they introduced the idea of kids having dream powers. I use the name Deke Simmons from Good Morning Miss Bliss, but I'm tweaking him to my own imagination. And I usually give background information how certain characters would know each other, but that will be explained in the progression of the story, and if you've read Elm Street Interludes, you will understand the relationship between Deke, Cheryl, and Zack. Belongs to New Line Cinema, Wes Craven, and NBC. Takes place of Rent-A-Pop in season two. I'm assuming Screech and Zack live on the same street since Screech was over a lot and Zack brought over his tricycle in "Beauty And The Screech" without mentioning whether or not his mom dropped him off.

CHAPTER ONE: FRIGHT NIGHT

_Cheryl Burkham walked around slowly, her eyes darting right and left. There was a squeak and she jumped._

_"Chill out, Cheryl," she chided. There was no way he could be back. She had been checking all week. In fact, she was starting to worry that if she kept going in, she might stir the freak up again. But she just had to be sure. It was her responsibility. There came another squeak and she had to fight the urge to call on her friends. They'd be ticked if they were pulled in here and there was nothing wrong. She walked up to an old familiar boiler. Cheryl nervously walked up to it. __**It's gonna be cold again, you wimp**__, she chided herself. She reached out and nervously touched it. It was cold. She gave a sigh of relief. Then, she heard a familiar chorus._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix._

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again._

_Cheryl gasped and turned around. To her surprise, three girls were playing jump rope. Suddenly, the boiler came to life. Cheryl screamed as a burning sensation filled her hand._ _She started to run from the boiler, but only got a few feet before her feet sunk into the ground, which had melted without_ _warning._ _Without warning, she felt knives embed themselves in her shoulder! She screamed and pulled away. There was a sinister chuckle._

_"Can't escape me, piggy," a voice said. Cheryl yelped as she was grabbed again and yanked towards the boiler._

_"Deke! Zack! Help me!" she screamed, struggling against the hold. Zack Morris grunted as he landed on the floor. __**Oh, jeez**__, he thought to himself. Hearing a scream, he got up and scrambled towards the sound._

_"NO!" he shouted, when he saw the sight. He grabbed a piece of glass that had broken in his fall, ran up, and jammed the glass in the man's shoulder. He roared and released the girl, who quickly fell over and then stood beside her friend. Fred Krueger lunged at Zack, knocking him to the ground._

_"ZACK!" Cheryl yelled. She started for Krueger, but was thrown back with a wave of the man's hand. Zack struggled underneath the man's weight. A blade cut into his neck._

_"NOOOO!" he shouted. The room shook, and Krueger released him. The plaster in the wall faded away as it was systematically taken down._

_"Dude, warn us next time," Deke Simmons stated._

_"What took you so long?" Zack wondered. _

_"I got turned around. I've got super strength, not x-ray vision," Deke answered. He fell silent as a shadow fell over them. They all looked to see Krueger, larger than before._

_"RUN!" Deke shouted. They took off and managed to find the door that led them out of the room. The trio leaned against it, keeping it shut as a banging noise was heard._

_"GET US OUT OF HERE, CHERYL! DO IT NOW!" Deke shouted. Cheryl concentrated and the three disappeared. _With a startled yelp, Cheryl bolted up. She let out a pained groan.

"Ow," she whispered, cradling her hand. She reached into her drawer, where she kept her first aid kit and tended to the injury. In his room, Deke looked around frantically. Where was he? He became relieved to find himself back in his room.

"Dang. That was way too close," he said to himself. With a gasp, Zack jerked awake. He brought a trembling hand to his neck, where blood seeped through his fingers.

"No. He's back," he whispered hoarsely.


	2. Warrior Checks And Warning

DISCLAIMER

Nightmare On Elm Street belongs to Wes Craven and Saved By The Bell belongs to NBC. I don't know what class they usually have first, so I'm just going to make something up.

The next morning, Cheryl walked to her locker. As she got her things out of her locker, she winced as her shoulder moved.

"How's the shoulder?" a voice asked. With a gasp, she turned around.

"Sorry," Zack apologized.

"You all right, Little Sister?" Deke added.

"Forget me. I'm not the one who got slashed in the neck," Cheryl stated, gently touching Zack's bandaged wound, which was pretty much hidden by his jacket.

"I'm all right," he assured her, pulling her hand down.

"I'm so sorry. I never should've pulled you in," she apologized.

"No, it's good that you did. We're a team," Deke reminded her.

"Yeah. We **all** gotta survive," Zack agreed.

"Your friends are coming," Cheryl noted. Zack turned around.

"Hey guys," he noted.

"Hey, Preppie. What's going on?" A.C. Slater asked.

"Yeah. You guys look so serious," Lisa Turtle added.

"Nothing," Zack answered. "We'll talk later, okay?" he checked with the other two.

"Okay," Cheryl agreed.

"You got it, man," Deke said, as the two performed their quick handshake which consisted of banging a fist down, then up, a quick clasp of the hands, and a finger snap. Slater stared in shock and confusion at the last part. The finger snap was **theirs**. Why was Preppie doing it with **this** guy?

"Watch your back, Sonic," Deke said.

"You too, Hulk," Zack replied. "You gonna be okay, Dreamer?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," Cheryl assured. "**Go**," she emphasized. With that, Zack walked off with his friends.

"Preppie, what was that all about?" Slater asked. Over the last couple of years, he had seen his friend gravitate towards the two as if they all shared some sort of secret, and he had to admit, it hurt that Zack wouldn't let him in.

"None of your business, Slater," Zack answered.

"Come on, Zack. Tell us," Samuel "Screech" Powers prompted.

"I can't right now, Screech. You're just going to have to wait," Zack insisted. With a look of discontent, Screech let it go as they headed into their first class.

"Zack, what's wrong? You look so tense," Jessica "Jessie" Spano noted.

"As soon as we get a break, you, Screech, and I gotta talk," Zack stated as Mr. Dewey came in.

"Why not now?" Jessie wondered.

"Yeah, no time like the present," Screech added.

"We can't. There's outsiders," Zack insisted. Then, before they could press him anymore, the bell rang. They all sat down and Zack played with a pencil that was in his hands. "One, two, Freddy's coming for you," he softly sang to himself, his eyes clouding. As Mr. Dewey started lecturing, Zack forced himself to pay attention. He **couldn**'**t** fall asleep, no matter how much he wanted to. However, Mr. Dewey's voice was of no help. Despite himself, Zack found his eyes drooping. Then, suddenly, he jerked awake! He couldn't fall asleep! He glanced at Slater.

"Dude! Don't let me fall asleep!" he hissed.

"Easy, Preppie. Dewey didn't notice," his friend responded.

"That's **not** what I'm worried about," he muttered darkly. Then, he refocused on the math teacher. To ensure staying awake, every time he felt himself nodding off, he poked his hand with his pencil. Finally, the bell rang and the others went out into the hall.

"Screech, Jessie. Hold up. We gotta talk," Zack said as his friends headed out.

"What's going on, Zack?" Slater wondered.

"Sorry, Slater. This is just between me, Screech, and Jessie," Zack told him.

"But--" Slater began to object.

"Slater!" Zack interrupted snappishly.

"Fine," Slater huffed, as he and the others continued on.

"Zack, what's going on?" Jessie wondered.

"Yeah, did you try to sell your dad's car again?" Screech added. Zack didn't even rise to the bait.

"We're in trouble, guys," he said.

"You mean **you**'**re** in trouble," Jessie corrected.

"No. All of us," Zack answered.

"Zack, what are you talking about?" Jessie questioned.

"He's back," Zack told them. Jessie and Screech froze. "Krueger's back."


	3. First Gone

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and NBC. I used a line from NOES 1 and The Lost Boys for this chap. I know they never really showed Max Nerdstrom in a classroom setting, but I wanted him to be in one for a reason.

"Krueger?" Jessie responded. "Zack, that's not funny!" she scolded.

"Do I look like I'm joking, Jessie? Look at what he did to me," Zack responded, showing her his bandaged wound.

"I--I--I can't handle this," Jessie stammered, and then ran off.

"Jessie!" Zack called, starting after her.

"Wait for me!" Screech yelped, joining them. Zack quickly caught up to his friend.

"I can't--I can't do this Zack--I **can**'**t**," she told him.

"Yeah, me neither," Screech agreed.

"Then get out. Get out of Elm Street. Deke, Cheryl, and I will take care of it," he told her.

"But I can't just leave you," she protested.

"Jessie, you have to make up your mind: you're either in or you're out. There's no halfway," he reminded her.

"I know, I know. I just--I just need to think," the girl said in distress.

"Well, **I**'**m** going to go to my uncle's dude ranch," Screech declared.

"That's fine, Screech. And Jessie, I get it--I **do**. Let me know in a couple of days. In the meantime--" Zack began to say.

"Don't fall asleep?" Jessie finished.

"Exactly," Zack confirmed. Then, they each went to their next classes. Zack blew out a breath and messed up his hair with a hand. What was he supposed to do? He didn't want to fight Krueger again. But he **had** to. What he told Cheryl was true: they **all** had to survive. They had to keep Krueger contained to Elm Street. They couldn't let his power grow. If they didn't strike now, they ran the chance of Krueger being able to get to anyone anywhere. His eyes clouded. He wished he knew what to do. He had thought it was over. They had all been able to sleep for about a year now. Why was this happening again? Screech's mind was reeling with what he had just heard. Fred Krueger was back? He couldn't handle this again! He had barely survived that freak once before. There was no **way** he could do it again! Jessie fidgeted nervously. She couldn't believe that man was back again. Things had been so good. She didn't want to have to deal with this again. In the halls, Slater's eyes furrowed. What was going on? Why had Zack seemed so intense? With a sigh, he continued on his way. In between classes, he tried to talk to the trio, but they successfully avoided answering any of his questions. At lunch, the gang sat at their usual table and ordered their usual meals, which came shortly. Zack absentmindedly stirred his straw around in his soda. He wasn't sure what to do. Fred Krueger was back and they all had to be careful. They'd have to stick together if they wanted to survive. Suddenly, he was aware of Slater talking to him?

"Preppie? Earth to Preppie!" Slater called, waving his hand in front of his friend's face.

"Sorry, man. What'd you say?" Zack asked.

"Hey, you okay, man? You've been even more spacey than usual today," Slater noted.

"I'm fine, man. I've just got a lot on my mind," Zack answered.

"Like what? New ways to seduce Kelly into the backseat of your car?" Slater teased.

"Slater!" Kelly exclaimed in embarrassment.

"Don't even start with me, Slater," Zack snapped at the same time.

"Sorry. It--was just a joke," Slater said in surprise.

"Well, it wasn't very funny," Jessie scolded.

"I said I was sorry," Slater defended himself. "Okay, so what happened? Did your parents flip out when you flunked another test?" he asked in concern.

"Man, did it ever occur to you that I might have more important things on my mind than girls and school?" Zack demanded, as he jumped up angrily.

"Whoa. Okay," Slater said, holding his hands up in a placating manner. _Whoa. What's up with __**him**__?_ he wondered.

"I'm out of here," Zack stated with a scoff. He threw down some money, and then stomped off.

"Zack!" Jessie exclaimed, jumping up and starting after him. She started to grab his arm, but he pushed her away.

"Leave it alone, Jess!" he shouted. Then, he headed out.

"What's **his** problem?" Kelly wondered.

"Oh, don't pay any attention to him. He probably just got outwitted by someone he was tryin' to scam," Lisa replied. They all laughed, except for Jessie. She remained silent, though she pursed her lips thoughtfully. She knew **exactly** why their friend was on edge. He was worried about Krueger coming back for them. After lunch, the rest of the gang headed back to class. In his Math class, Zack struggled to stay awake. Beside him, Maxwell Nerdstrom leaned back in boredom. He could easily skate through class. Mr. Dewey was such a geek. With a soft sigh, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. _SCREE! Maxwell's eyes popped open._ _What was that? The sound came again. the boy quickly stood up in his chair and looked at the others students who were listening to_ _Mr. Dewey who was still lecturing even through the continual screeing. _

_"Don't you guys hear that?" he asked them._

_"SSSSSHHHHH!" everyone hissed, turning to him angrily._

_"But there's--" Max started to say._

_"Didn't you hear us, geek? Shut up," Kelly sneered. _ _Max's jaw dropped when he saw the four blades on her right hand. This wasn't Kelly! He quickly stood up and ran out of_ the _room._ _Maniacal laughter rang through the air. _ _The boy wheezed as he ran down the hall. The laughter came closer and_ _closer. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind! He struggled, but somebody shushed him. Max choked as he felt something pierce his neck._

_"How's __**this**__ for a gift?" he heard someone chuckle before he faded into_ _nothingness._ As Mr. Dewey's lecture ended, the bell rang. Everyone stood up.

"Wow. That must've been an exceptionally boring lecture. **Maxwell** fell asleep," Slater joked. They all laughed.

"Guys, he doesn't look like he's waking up," Kelly noted.

"Hey, come on, Maxwell. Nap time's over," Slater said. There was no answer. Slater walked over, and shook the boy's shoulder. The body fell to the ground and Kelly screamed. Slater's jaw dropped as he and the others stared at into Maxwell's lifeless eyes.


	4. Fearful Warriors

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and NBC. I only own characters you don't recognize and the plot. I had forgotten that Zack had Dewey's class as well when I wrote the last chap, so this chap fixes that. I don't remember if the uncle was on Screech's mom or dad's side, so I'm just makin' something up. I use the background info on Krueger from NOES 1.

After the discovery, the police were called and the students were released from their classes.

"What happened?" Deke wondered.

"Nerdstrom fell asleep in Dewey's class, and never woke up," Zack answered.

"Was it--" Cheryl made her right hand into a claw and made a swiping motion. Zack pulled Cheryl and Deke aside.

"Yeah. But it was weird. He didn't even make a sound. We didn't even know anything had happened until the end of class," he whispered.

"That means Krueger must've taken his voice," Deke theorized softly.

"Yeah, he really did a number on him. There was so much blood, man," Zack responded.

"I guess this means we have to up the ante. You know, go on the offensive," Cheryl surmised.

"And we don't leave each other alone," Zack added.

"What about Jessie and Screech? Are they gonna help?" Deke queried.

"Jessie's still undecided and Screech said he was gonna go to his uncle's dude ranch," Zack answered.

"That's a good idea. Get out of Elm Street," Cheryl approved.

"Yeah," Zack said even more softly.

"Hey, you all right, Sonic?" Deke questioned, noting the change in his friend's demeanor.

"Yeah. Yeah, you know me, man," Zack answered.

"That's right. We **do** know you," Deke insisted. "So, what's wrong? You worried about Krueger?" he queried.

"No, not really. It's just--" Zack's voice faltered.

"Yeah, I getcha," Deke said. Zack blew out a breath. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried. Things weren't making sense. Nerdstrom wasn't one of them. He didn't live where they did. He just--he didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure if he could handle facing Krueger again.

"All right, Sonic. Level," Deke commanded.

"I think he's gotten stronger," Zack stated.

"What?" Deke and Cheryl chorused.

"Nerdstrom didn't live on Elm Street. Krueger shouldn't have been able to get to him," Zack told them.

"He's right. His powers are usually limited to Elm Street," Deke agreed.

"I must've missed something in my patrols," Cheryl realized.

"Hey, Little Sister, this wasn't your fault," Zack assured.

"Yeah, there's no way you could've known he was in some other kid's dream," Deke agreed.

"But it's my job to patrol the dream world--" Cheryl began to say.

"It's **our** job," Zack corrected. "We all have to survive and fight. We're a team, remember?" he continued.

"Yeah, that's right. No way are we gonna leave you alone," Deke agreed. Before any of them continued, the PA system crackled to life.

"Attention students, due to the horrible incident in Mr. Dewey's math class, I encourage you all to go home. And please…be safe," Principal Richard Belding told them.

"Well, I guess that's that," Zack sighed. "Come on, Little Sister. I'll take you home," he continued.

"And I'll follow you guys," Deke added.

"But my car--" Cheryl began to object.

"I'll hook it up to mine," Deke interrupted. "Now, come on. Let's go," he stated. With that, they walked to the parking lot, and to their cars. Zack helped Cheryl into her car as Deke connected his car and hers. Then, they all headed away. Minutes later, Slater, Jessie, Lisa had decided to meet up at the Max. Screech, meanwhile decided to go home, where he immediately began packing. His parents came in.

"Samuel, what are you doing?" his mother, Roberta Powers, wondered.

"I'm getting out of here. I can't stay," Screech answered.

"What are you talking about, son?" Mark Powers asked.

"I've been having bad dreams…about Fred Krueger," Screech answered. His parents inhaled sharply.

"Krueger?" they chorused.

"Yeah. I think I'll be safer that way," Screech responded.

"Samuel, you're absolutely right," Mrs. Powers agreed. She helped her son pack as her husband called his brother and made arrangements. At the Max, Slater, Jessie, Zack, Kelly, Deke, Lisa, and Cheryl sat at a booth, talking quietly.

"So, what's the deal with this Krueger guy anyway?" Slater wondered.

"He was a freak who murdered a bunch of kids on our street when we were little," Zack answered. "He got, caught arrested, and then released because of some stupid technicality," he continued.

"Our parents didn't like that, so they followed him to his boiler room, lit up, and watched it burn," Jessie added.

"So, he'd dead. What's the big deal?" Slater pressed.

"That's the point, Slater! He's **not** dead! He's come back for us again. And I don't know if we can stop him this time," Zack exclaimed emotionally.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, Sonic. We can take him," Deke assured.

"Yeah, we're a team," Cheryl agreed, reaching out to take Zack's hand.

"I don't know, you guys. I mean, the fact that he got out of Elm Street--that means he's stronger. Can we really take him?" he questioned. Cheryl and Deke looked at each other. He had a point. Krueger's power was usually restricted to Elm Street.

"He got out of Elm Street?" Jessie questioned.

"Scary thought," Lisa commented. The group stared at each other. Zack continued to hold Cheryl's hand. Deke put his hand on top of theirs and the other two smiled at him. Lisa, Slater, and Jessie stared at each other, feeling better that they had help, but still felt separated by the trio.


	5. Warrior Taken

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and NBC. I only own the plot.

Later that night, the gang, except for Screech who had been put on the earliest flight to his uncle's dude ranch, met at Zack's house.

"So, what do we do now?" Slater wondered.

"I'll put on some music," Deke said.

"Great idea, man," Zack approved. Deke went over to Zack's music collection, searched through the albums, made a selection, turned on the radio, put the c.d. into the player, and then pressed play. The friends stood up and began dancing, each pairing up with someone. The couples were: Zack and Kelly, Slater and Jessie, and Lisa, and Cheryl and Deke. As they danced, Kelly noticed the concerned expression on Zack's face.

"Hey, how you holding up?" she wondered.

"I'm holding," Zack answered. He smiled at her, and spun her around. _I can't let her see how nervous I am. And I can't let Krueger get to her_, he thought to himself. _He seems so tense. I wish he'd just talk to me_, Kelly thought. Cheryl and Deke glanced at each other.

"He's nervous and worried," Cheryl commented.

"Yeah. Nerdstrom's murder has really put him on edge," Deke agreed.

"Exactly. Even though they weren't exactly friends, Zack still feels responsible," Cheryl said.

"Don't know why. He couldn't have known," Deke stated. Jessie sighed nervously.

"Hey, you okay?" Slater questioned.

"I don't know, Slater. Krueger is really bad news," Jessie answered. "I mean, he nearly killed us the last time. I--I don't--I don't think I can do this again," she continued.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't worry. I'm here. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he assured her.

"What can **you** do? You've never fought him!" Jessie shouted, jerking out of his embrace.

"Jessie--" Slater started to say, trying to approach her.

"NO! YOU CAN'T PRETEND EVERYTHING'S ALL RIGHT WHEN IT'S NOT!" Jessie screamed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Jessie…calm down," Zack said, as he and the others stopped dancing and Deke quickly turned off the radio.

"CALM DOWN?! CALM DOWN?! WITH THAT FREAK AFTER US?" Jessie screamed.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Ssssssshhhhhhhh. I got it. We can take him," Zack assured.

"You don't know that for sure, Zack," Jessie retorted. "Look at what happened to Nerdstrom--and he didn't even live on Elm Street," she continued. Zack fell silent.

"You're right. And I--I don't know how he got out. But I can promise you, Jessie--I **won**'**t** let him take anyone else," Zack said fervently. Just then, Melanie Morris poked her head in.

"It's getting late, you guys. You should head on home," she told them. The kids groaned.

"Ah, Mom…do they gotta?" Zack whined.

"Yes, honey. They do," Mrs. Morris answered. The kids groaned again. However, they all did as they were told. Slater changed into a pair of pajamas, and then went to sleep. At their homes, Lisa and Kelly did the same. In her room, Jessie grabbed her Geometry book and opened it to the current assignment. _Okay. This should keep me awake for a while_, she thought to herself. Then, she made herself comfortable on her bed and began reading. Deke flipped through his music collection until he found a tape he liked. Then, he put the tape into a walkman, pressed play, and listened as hard metal rock came blaring through his headphones. After the others left, Zack paced around his room. He didn't know what to do. Krueger was back, and he had already killed someone they knew. Granted, Maxwell wasn't much of a friend, but still…it was unnerving. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Meanwhile, Cheryl had gotten into her pajamas and had snuggled into her bed. Then, she entered the dream world. _She looked around._

_"Okay…I'm in the boiler room. Good to know," she commented. Then, she continued down the_ _hall._ _ SCREE! Cheryl tensed, but remained calm. She knew it was just_ _Krueger. She continued to walk around the dark surroundings._ As he paced, Zack yawned. _No! I can't fall asleep!_ he thought to himself. However, it was a losing battle, and he soon sank to the floor and sat against the wall. _ Zack looked around. Where was he? It didn't look like the boiler room. In fact, it didn't look like any of the places Krueger used to lure kids._

_"Well, I'm obviously asleep," he muttered to himself. He continued to walk around. Several minutes later, he found himself in a familiar spot: an old fishing hole his dad used to take him to._

_"What the--?" he asked in confusion. _

_"Hey, son," Derek Morris greeted. In his hands was a fishing pole._

_"What--what's going on?" Zack wondered._

_"Come on, son. The fish are biting," Derek enticed._

_"What?" Zack asked. __**Is this--is this really happening?**__ he wondered hopefully. He had always wanted to spend more time with his father._

_"Come on, son," Mr. Morris enticed, holding out the pole. It only took a moment for Zack to make his decision. He reached for the pole. He cast out the rod. With a jerk, he pitched forward and then flipped over in the air. Then, he was spread out eagle-style and chained to four pipes._

_"KRUEGER!" Zack shouted. He laughed. Hearing the cry, Cheryl hurried in that direction. Her eyes widened when she saw the sight._

_"ZACK!" she screamed, heading for them. With a roar and a wave of his hand, Krueger flung Cheryl back._

_"ZACK, NO!" she screamed again. _With a gasp, she awoke.

"Zack," she whispered. Then, she flung her blankets aside and hurried out the door, and to Zack's house. In his room, Deke's brows furrowed. Had he heard something? He pulled the headphones away and heard a faint banging. He got up and went to his window, which faced the rest of his neighborhood.

"What the--?" he wondered, seeing Cheryl at the Morris'. He opened his window, and quickly shimmied down the tree, and hurried to the house just as the door opened to reveal Mrs. Morris.

"What's wrong?" they asked together.

"He's got Zack," she told them.

"SONIC!" Deke shouted, pushing past the woman, and hurrying up to his friend's room. The women followed him and skidded to a stop as he forced the door open. He ran in and knelt on the floor where Zack was now splayed.

"Oh, my gosh," Mrs. Morris gasped. Then, she hurried past the kids and knelt down beside. "Zack? Zack, can you hear me?" she queried. There was no response. "Cheryl, call an ambulance," she instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am," Cheryl responded. She went downstairs and did so. Several minutes later, she heard the sirens. The paramedics came in, checked Zack's vitals, and then whisked him away to the hospital, as Mrs. Morris and the kids followed in the woman's car.


	6. Hospitalized

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and NBC. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

Minutes later, Mrs. Morris, Cheryl, and Deke were at the hospital. Cheryl paced in the waiting room.

"Hey, don't worry, Little Sister. We got to him in time. And--" Looking at Mrs. Morris, he took her aside and lowered his voice, "we can go in later and rescue him," he assured.

"I know. It's just--Zack normally wouldn't have gotten caught like that," Cheryl stated.

"Which can only mean one thing," Deke continued in realization. His friend nodded.

"Krueger took his father's shape," they chorused softly so that Mrs. Morris couldn't hear them. Mrs. Morris noticed the way Cheryl and Deke talked together, but before she could question them, the doctor came out.

"How's my son?" Mrs. Morris wondered.

"Mrs. Morris, it's not good," the doctor, Mark Channing stated.

"What? What's wrong with him, doctor?" Mrs. Morris questioned.

"Somehow--we don't know what's caused it--your son's fallen into a deep coma," Dr. Channing answered.

"What? Oh, my gosh!" Mrs. Morris gasped. "I--I've got to call my husband," she stammered.

"There's a payphone down to hall to your left," Dr. Channing stated. Mrs. Morris went in the direction indicated and the kids came up to him.

"Can we see him?" Deke asked.

"I'm sorry. Only family's allowed," Dr. Channing apologized.

"We **are** family," Deke responded.

"He's our brother," Cheryl added.

"Mr. Morris is listed as an only child," Dr. Channing told him.

"Not all family is defined by blood," Cheryl pointed out.

"So what are you guys? Stepsiblings, half-siblings, foster siblings…what?" Dr. Channing demanded.

"It's complicated," Deke answered.

"Look, just--can't--can't you just let us in? Just for a moment?" Cheryl pleaded.

"I'm sorry. It's not hospital policy," Dr. Channing told them.

"But he's in danger! He needs us!" Cheryl exclaimed.

"Look, I told--" Dr. Channing began.

"What's going on here?" a voice interrupted.

"Doctor Jackson!" Cheryl and Deke exclaimed together.

"Hey, kids. Are you here for Zack?" Dr. Rod Jackson questioned.

"Yes, Sir," they answered as one.

"Go on in," he invited.

"Thanks," they said, and then they walked in.

"Sir, this is completely against department policy," Dr. Channing objected.

"They're his family. They're allowed," Dr. Jackson said.

"But--"

"Zack, Deke, and Cheryl are survivors. They look out for each other. Without one another, they'd be dead," Dr. Jackson stated.

"I--I don't understand," Dr. Channing admitted.

"Those three of the toughest kids I know. They faced a madman and survived," Dr. Jackson told him.

"What madman?" Dr. Channing scoffed.

"You ever of Fred Krueger?" Dr. Jackson queried.

"Yeah, wasn't he some murderer from ten years ago that got fried by some adults after getting off on a technicality?" Dr. Channing asked.

"Yeah," Dr. Jackson confirmed. "And then he came back to kill the kids in their dreams," he continued. "Don't you see? They're some of the last of the Elm Street Children." Meanwhile, Melanie had finally gotten through to her husband.

"Melanie, what is it? What's wrong?" Derek Morris asked in concern.

"Derek, it's horrible," Melanie said, trying to stay composed.

"What is it?" Derek questioned, catching the quiver.

"It's Zack," Melanie told him, her voice shaking.

"What about Zack?" Derek wondered.

"Fred's got him," Melanie announced. Then, she burst into tears.


	7. Warriors To The Rescue

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Anne28: Yeah. We'll see.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Miller-Boyett, Wes Craven, and New Line Cinema. I'm not quite sure how rich the Morris' are, but the dad seemed to be pretty successful and Zack was able to afford his own cell phone.

As soon as he heard the name, Derek's' face paled.

"What?" he asked. At the change in his town, his colleagues looked at him in concern.

"He's in a deep coma, Derek. I'm--I'm really scared," Melanie continued.

"I'll be on the next flight out," Derek promised. Then, he ended the call and dialed another number.

"Derek, what's going on?" Charlie questioned.

"It's Zack. He's uh--he's been attacked. I have to go," Derek answered as he was dialing. Then, "Yeah, Derek. I need the earliest available flight to Palisades." His colleagues listened as the man continued to try to make arrangements. Finally, he made a noise of frustration.

"Derek, why don't you just take a company plane?" Charlie suggested.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea," Derek agreed.

"Come on, I'll take you," Charlie stated. Then, they headed out. _Oh, hold on, Zack. I'm coming, Son_, Derek thought to himself. When they got to the plane, they quickly got in and Charlie quickly put the plane in the air.

"Derek, why is this so important? What's going on?" Charlie wondered.

"It's like I said--Zack was attacked," Derek answered. "He's, um--he's in a coma," he continued.

"Derek, I'm so sorry," Charlie said.

"Yeah, so am I," Derek agreed. Meanwhile, Deke and Cheryl were in Zack's hospital room, watching over their friend worriedly.

"Come on, Sonic. Don't let him beat you," Deke encouraged. The only response was silence. Then, an expression of pain flitted across his face and he appeared to let out an inaudible whimper.

"Let him go, you freak," Cheryl emotionally ordered. Without warning, his body began jerking up and down, causing the bed to shake.

"What the--" Deke and Cheryl ran to him and tried to hold him down.

"What the heck?" Deke asked.

"He's beatin' the heck out of him!" Cheryl shouted.

"Dr. Jackson!" Deke shouted. "DR. JACKSON!" he screamed. The man came running in.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Jackson questioned.

"He's having a nightmare! Krueger's beatin' the heck out of him!" Cheryl shouted.

"Cheryl, can you sense him?" Dr. Jackson questioned.

"He's just mostly in the dream world. There's nothing I can fight here," Cheryl answered. Zack's body continued to jerk and the trio tried to keep him down.

"Cheryl, Deke, I'm going to need you to leave. We need to work on him," Dr. Jackson told them. They nodded and left as the man activated the intercom and called for help. In the hall, Cheryl paced worriedly.

"Hey, relax. Dr. Jackson's working on him," Deke assured her.

"I don't like this. We're helpless here. If we really want to help him, we need to go in," Cheryl said.

"Okay, Little Sister. Lead the way," Deke stated, as they sat down. They grabbed hands, closed their eyes, and concentrated. _ Deke and Cheryl looked around._

_"Come on. Let's go," Cheryl said. They quickly hurried back into the room. Fred Krueger laughed maniacally as he continually threw Zack up and down on the bed as he tried to fight back. _

_"NO!" Deke shouted. He and Cheryl jumped through the air and kicked the man away from their friend. Krueger laughed._

_"So brave," he taunted. He waved a hand as if to send them away, but Cheryl concentrated and the two stood firm. With a growl, he waved his hand in a circular motion and this time, the two stumbled. Struggling against the wind that had been conjured, Deke knelt down and then pounded the floor. _As he re-stabilized Zack, Dr. Jackson suddenly became aware that the floor was shaking.

"What are you guys doing in there?" he wondered. The floor shook again and he toppled to the floor. _Deke continued to bang the floor as Krueger tried to stand._ _He couldn't let Krueger get to Zack. He just couldn't! Cheryl couldn't even stand because of Deke's banging, but she didn't care. It was keeping Krueger away from Zack. That was all that mattered. Suddenly, Krueger waved a hand and Deke fell to the ground, resulting in the shaking to stop. Suddenly, the room was filled with a bright light, and with groans, Deke and Cheryl covered their eyes. _ _When the light subsided, Cheryl and Deke found themselves in separate rooms._

_"Uh-oh," they chorused. There was a loud maniacal cackle. _


	8. Hospital Work

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Supernatural16: Thanks. Here's more.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and NBC. I only own the plot. I don't know if I ever said what room Zack was in, and if it's different from another chap, I apologize.

_Cheryl looked around at her new surroundings. __**Okay, Krueger. What are you playing at?**_ _she wondered as the maniacal laughter continued. She perused the area, trying to figure out where Krueger had put_ _her. She wrinkled her nose at the clashing patterns. __**I'm not scared, but I definitely wanna hurl**_, _she thought. She then went about checking the doors to see if she could get out. In his own room, Deke's eyes darkened._

"_You wanna play it this way, Krueger? Fine by me," he_ _declared. He lunged towards the door, intending to break it down, but he merely bounced back, falling to the ground._

"_What the--what did you do, Krueger?!"_ _he_ _asked, picking himself up_. _He spun around, trying to figure out if there was another way_ _out._ _Seeing a door, he ran to it and touched the knob. Surprisingly, it swung open._

"_Okay. This can't be good," he muttered. He stepped past the door and into a hall_way. _SCREE! Deke tensed, but kept going. He couldn't let Krueger get to him. He had to find Cheryl, and they had to rescue_ _Zack. SCREE! SCREE!_ _Deke forced himself to ignore the sound and continued on down the_ _hall. Suddenly, the floor shifted and rippled and he tumbled straight down with a cry of_ _alarm._ _While this was going on, Zack struggled against his bonds. He had to get free!_ _SCREE! He froze at the sound. _ _Krueger was back. The man laughed sinisterly as he stepped into view._

"_Zack," he said. "Ready to be bait for your friends?" he sneered._

"_You really think that'll step into a trap?" Zack questioned hotly._

"_**You**__ did," Krueger reminded._

"_Yeah, well, they're smarter than me," Zack responded. __**Always have been and always will be**__, he added silently. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid. Deke and Cheryl would never have fallen for such an obvious set_ _up. But Krueger had played on his one weakness: spending time with his_ _father. Krueger ran his blades over a railing and Zack winced at the sound. The man knelt_ _down beside_ _him._

"_But you all have one thing in common: when one's in trouble--" he began, letting his nails scrape close by. "The others come--" the blades came even closer. "RUNNING!" he finished, slashing the boy in the chest. Zack_ _screamed. Krueger laughed. _ Dr. Jackson winced inwardly when he saw the cuts, but quickly started tending to the wounds.

"Don't worry, Zack. I won't let him get you," the man assured. Fortunately--though he didn't know why--Krueger didn't do anything else, and he was able to treat the wound. Just then, Melanie came back.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Krueger cut him. Fortunately it wasn't too deep," Dr. Jackson answered.

"I called Derek. He should be here shortly," Melanie stated.

"Good. That's good," Dr. Jackson responded. On the plane, Derek tapped his foot. How much longer would they be? He had to get to Zack. Fred could be doing **anything** to him. Charlie looked to Derek, and noticing the visage, sped up. A couple of hours later, they landed in palisades. Derek used his phone to call the hospital payphone. Dr. Jackson and Melanie, who were sitting and watching over the kids--Deke and Cheryl long since having been put on extra cots in the same room--reacted in surprise.

"Go ahead and answer it," Dr. Jackson told her, and the woman did so.

"Hello?" she queried.

"Melanie, what hospital is he in?" Derek asked.

"Palisades Pacific," Melanie answered.

"On my way," Derek promised, and then hung up. He quickly got a cab, told the cabbie where he wanted to go, and the man took off. Minutes later, he was at the hospital. He paid the fare and then rushed in.

"Zack Morris, where is he?" he questioned frantically.

"Room 304," the receptionist answered. He then took off. Hearing footsteps, Melanie turned around.

"Derek," she said shakily.

"Melanie," her husband said, running towards her. They hugged each other tightly. Derek stared at his son, who was lying motionless on the bed. _Don't worry, kiddo. I'm not letting him keep you_, Derek silently promised to himself.


	9. Father To The Rescue

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

ALM: Maybe. Hope this is soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven, New Line Cinema, and NBC. I use a line and situation from NOES 3.

Derek sat in the chair, watching his son, hating the helpless feeling he had. How had things come to this? How had things become this bad? He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.

"Come on, kiddo. Wake up," he silently encouraged. Dr. Jackson walked in.

"Derek, visiting hours--" he started to say.

"I can't leave. Fred might kill him," Derek interrupted.

"I understand how you feel--" Dr. Jackson continued.

"No you don't, Rod! You don't know how I feel! All of this happening is my fault! I led the parents! I was the one who decided to torch him! The others just followed my lead!" Derek interrupted again. Dr. Jackson began to say something, but stopped. "And now he's got my boy. He's got Zack. Fred knows **exactly** what he's doing," Derek continued.

"I'm sorry, Derek. But I can't let you stay," Dr. Jackson told him. Derek sighed and walked out of the room. Then, he ducked into a hallway and sat in a chair.

"Okay, Fred. You want a Morris? You got one," he declared. He closed his eyes. _ SCREE! Derek's eyes flew open._

"_Okay Fred, where are you?" he_ _demanded. There was a raspy chuckle. The man followed the sound down a steep flight of_ _stairs._

"_Still usin' this place, huh, Fred?" he murmured_ _darkly. He hurried down the steps, ignoring the harsh_ _sounds._ _He had to find Zack._ _He had to get his boy out of here. Meanwhile, Deke and Cheryl had met up._

"_Did you find him?" Cheryl questioned._

"_No. Krueger's got him hidden pretty good," Deke answered. SCREE! They quickened their pace at the sound. They had to find_ _Zack. Zack weakly struggled against his bonds, ignoring the pain from the cuts on his chest. He had to get free. _ _There __**had**__ to be a way to escape! He heard Krueger chuckle sinisterly and he increased his struggle._

"_Yes, struggle," he heard the man's voice say. "Make yourself weak," he oozed. He let out a booming cackle._

"_Guys, help!" Zack called._

"_Zack!" he heard Cheryl cry. Hearing his son's cry,_ _Derek sped up and quickly took a right turn. He skidded when he saw the sight._

"_ZACK!" he yelled as Deke and Cheryl found their way to the same location._

"_Dad?" Zack asked in disbelief. __**He's really here? He came for me?**_ _he thought to himself._

"_Let him go, Krueger!" Cheryl shouted._

"_Okay," Krueger shrugged, and then released each of the bonds with a flick of his wrist._

"_NO!" the trio screamed. Derek charged the man as Deke and Cheryl quickly jumped down just in time to catch him._

"_Come on," Cheryl grunted._

"_We gotcha," Deke_ _added. Zack put his feet in two holes and then laboriously climbed upward as Cheryl and Deke pulled him_ _backwards. They all landed in a heap with a grunt._

"_You all right?" Deke asked._

"_Yeah, I'm fine," Zack answered. Then, "Dad!" He quickly ran to where his father was struggling with the nightmare man and attacked him._

"_You're finished Krueger," Cheryl declared._

"_Oh, I don't think so," Krueger chuckled._

"_No, she's right Fred," Derek confirmed. "Did you think that these kids were the only ones with power?" he queried as fire appeared from his_ _fingertips. Krueger tried to step forward, but was stopped by a nod from Mr. Morris._

"_Kids, link up," the man instructed. They grabbed each others hands and Mr. Morris grabbed Zack's. Then, a blinding flash filled the room as jolt of electricity flew from each of them. Krueger screamed as he was engulfed by fire, he was thrown against a wall, the room was filled with loud screams, and his previous victims suddenly appeared._

"_Wha--how?" Cheryl stammered as they all squinted against the brightness._

"_I think our powers just got kicked up a notch," Zack answered. With a final roar, Krueger disintegrated into a pile of ash._

"_Cool," the kids chorused._ With a gasp, everyone woke up.

"Okay, way too close," Zack moaned.

"Zack," Cheryl, Deke, and Mr. Morris sighed in relief. At the new voices, Zack turned and was surprised to see his friends and father in the same room.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all awake. For awhile there, I thought we'd lose you all," Dr. Jackson commented.

"Wha--did--did we do it?" Zack asked shakily.

"Yeah, son. We did it," Derek assured.

"You came for me. I can't believe you actually came for me," Zack commented. Derek stared in surprise.

"O--of course I came for you. You're my son," he told him.

"Uh…we'll go wait in the hall," Deke said, as he and Cheryl got out of bed.

"You two sure you're all right?" Dr. Jackson queried.

"We'll live," Deke responded.

"I wanna check you guys over later," Dr. Jackson stated.

"Fair enough," Cheryl agreed, and then they went into the hall.

"Zack, I'm gonna go call your mother, tell her you're awake," Dr. Jackson said. He then went to do so. Derek sat Zack on the bed.

"Zack, kiddo…have we really come to this? Did you really think I wouldn't come for you?" he questioned.

"You're always working. You never have any time for us," Zack said. Derek sighed.

"I'm sorry, Zack. I'm so sorry," he apologized. "I'm gonna talk to Charlie and see if I can get my hours cut back," he continued.

"Really?" Zack asked. Derek nodded. Zack's face lit up. "Dad, that'd be great!" he exclaimed, giving him a hug. Two days later, Zack, Kelly, Slater, Jessie, Lisa, and Screech walked up the stairs to Bayside High. At the entrance, Deke and Cheryl met up with them.

"Hey, guys," the two greeted as Deke and Zack did their handshake. Everyone walked into the school. _A group of kids stood in front of the school. Three girls in white dresses were playing jump rope as the rest were doing other kids' activities. Together, they all sang a song._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix._

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again._

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Ending was semi-inspired by the Dream Child.


End file.
